Flare Pris and the Three Fuzzy Cats
by tabisa
Summary: I don't own the characters.


Once upon a time there was an energetic girl called Flare Pris. She was on the way to see her brother-in-law Waffle Ryebread, when she decided to take a shortcut through Happy Hollow Park.

It wasn't long before Flare got lost. She looked around, but all she could see were trees. Nervously, she felt into her bag for her favorite toy, Spike, but Spike was nowhere to be found! Flare began to panic. She felt sure she had packed Spike. To make matters worse, she was starting to feel hungry.

Unexpectedly, she saw a fuzzy cat dressed in pink shorts disappearing into the trees.

"How odd!" thought the girl.

For the want of anything better to do, she decided to follow the peculiarly dressed cat. Perhaps it could tell her the way out of the forest.

Eventually, Flare reached a clearing. She found herself surrounded by houses made from different sorts of food. There was a house made from carrots, a house made from muffins, a house made from chocolates and a house made from waffles.

Flare could feel her tummy rumbling.

Looking at the houses did nothing to ease her hunger.

"Hello!" she called. "Is anybody there?"

Nobody replied.

Flare looked at the roof on the closest house and wondered if it would be rude to eat somebody else's chimney. Obviously it would be impolite to eat a _whole _house, but perhaps it would be considered acceptable to nibble the odd fixture or lick the odd fitting, in a time of need.

A cackle broke through the air, giving Flare a fright. A witch jumped into the space in front of the houses. She was carrying a cage. In that cage was Spike!

"Spike!" shouted Flare. She turned to the witch. "That's my toy!"

The witch just shrugged.

"Give Spike back!" cried Flare.

"Not on your life!" said the witch.

"At least let Spike out of that cage!"

Before she could reply, three fuzzy cats rushed in from a footpath on the other side of the clearing. Flare recognized the one in the pink shorts that she'd seen earlier. The witch seemed to recognize him too.

"Hello Big Cat," said the witch.

"Good morning." The cat noticed Spike. "Who is this?"

"That's Spike," explained the witch.

"Ooh! Spike would look lovely in my house. Give it to me!" demanded the cat.

The witch shook her head. "Spike is staying with me."

"Um… Excuse me…" Flare interrupted. "Spike lives with me, _not _in a cage!"

Big Cat ignored her. "Is there nothing you'll trade?" he asked the witch.

The witch thought for a moment, then said, "I do like to be entertained. I'll release him to anybody who can eat a whole front door."

Big Cat looked at the house made from waffles and said, "No problem, I could eat an entire _house_ made from waffles if I wanted to."

"That's nothing," said the next cat. "I could eat _two_ houses."

"There's no need to show off," said the witch. Just eat one front door and I'll let you have Spike."

Flare watched, feeling very worried. She didn't want the witch to give Spike to Big Cat. She didn't think Spike would like living with a fuzzy cat, away from her house and all her other toys.

The other two cats watched while Big Cat put on his bib and withdrew a knife and fork from his pocket.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Big Cat. "Just you watch!"

After eating many bites of the muffin house, he inflated like a balloon.

"Erm… I don't feel so good," said Big Cat.

He rolled down a slope into the forest after growing so big he could no longer balance.

Big Cat never finished eating the front door made from muffins and Spike remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Average Cat stepped up, and approached the house made from chocolates.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Average Cat. "Just you watch!"

After eating many bites of chocolate, she started to feel queasy. She grew greener and greener.

A woodcutter walked into the clearing. "What's this bush doing here?" he asked.

"I'm not a bush, I'm a cat!" said Average Cat.

"It talks!" exclaimed the woodcutter. "Those talking bushes are the worst kind. I'd better take it away before somebody gets hurt."

"No! Wait!" cried Average Cat, as the woodcutter picked her up, but the woodcutter ignored her cries as he carried her away and Spike remained trapped in the witch's cage.

Little Cat stepped up and approached the house made from waffles.

"I'll eat this whole house," said Little Cat. "Just you watch!"

After eating forkfuls of waffles, he rocketed into the sky.

"Aggghhhhh!" cried Little Cat. "I'm scared of heights!"

Little Cat was never seen again and Spike was still trapped in the witch's cage.

"That's it," said the witch. "I win. I get to keep Spike."

"Not so fast," said Flare. "There's still one front door to go, the one made from carrots and I haven't had a turn yet."

"I don't have to give you a turn!" laughed the witch. "My game. My rules."

The woodcutter's voice carried though the forest. "I think you should give her a chance. It's only fair."

"Fine," said the witch. "But you saw what happened to the cats. She won't last long."

After many bites of cooked carrots, Flare waited for her food to digest. She had eaten the entire front door of the house made from carrots.

The witch stamped her foot angrily. "You must've tricked me!" she said. "I don't reward _cheating_!"

"I don't think so!" said the woodcutter. "This little girl won fair and square. Now hand over Spike or I'll chop your broom in half."

In a huff, the witch left the cage open.

Flare grabbed the toy, thanked the woodcutter and grabbed a souvenir before going to Waffle's house. When she got there, he flew his arms around her.

"I was so worried! You're very late."

As Flare described her day, she could tell Waffle didn't believe her, so she grabbed a napkin from her pocket.

"What's that?" asked Waffle.

Flare unwrapped a doorknob made from muffins. "Pudding!"

Waffle almost fell off his chair.

The End


End file.
